3.01.2016

$500 Budget Challenge (Skylake edition)

Who said that fanless PCs were expensive and hard to achieve? By following some basic rules one can build a passively-cooled and highly capable computer for less than an iPad.

✓ Corsair Carbide Series 200R. This case will provide enough space to work with, and most importantly plenty air vents for natural convection. For some reasons small cases are associated with fanless cooling when they are the worst, avoid them at all cost. Components will need air and thus space.

✓ Intel Pentium G4400. Basically an i3 without Hyper-Threading. This particular processor is a steal, providing 3.3 GHz of Skylake goodness under $65. This little speed demon will handle almost everything, including light gaming and work. Its reasonable 54W TDP is perfect for passive cooling too.

✓ SeaSonic 400W Platinum Fanless. Believe it or not, the power supply is more important than the cooling system. This is a the real key component. This is the secret for a reliable and durable system. Just spare no expense on it.